‘Shocking’ Proposed Trade Sees Knicks Swap Julius Randle for Superstar

The New York Knicks are projected to be a play-in team at best this season, so they can either keep moving forward on that path and see what happens, or they could swing for the fences and land a big name.

That was an option this past summer with Donovan Mitchell, but they watched the Cleveland Cavaliers come in and swoop him up. Since joining Cleveland, he’s blossomed into an early MVP candidate, so it looks like that was a miss for the Knicks, at least right now.

New York still has a chance to right the ship by landing another star, and that player might not be that far away. The Brooklyn Nets have been struggling out of the gate, and that could cause them to revisit a Kevin Durant trade.

Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz suggests a “shocking” trade between the two New York teams that would see each squad’s star forward swap sides.

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Durant for Randle

Knicks fans have been wanting to get rid of Julius Randle for a while now, and this trade would see them do just that. Before we get too into the weeds, let’s look at the proposal:

• New York Knicks Receive: F Kevin Durant
• Brooklyn Nets Receive: PF Julius Randle, G Immanuel Quickley, PG Derrick Rose, 2023, 2025 and 2027 first-round picks (unprotected via New York Knicks), 2023 first-round pick (top-10 protected, via Dallas Mavericks)

This trade would land the Knicks Durant for Randle, Quickley and Rose, along with several first round picks. It’s the type of haul the Nets were looking for when shopping Durant around, but nothing every came into fruition.

The Nets landing Randle wouldn’t be all that exciting for them, but getting Rose and Quickley with him would soften the blow. Most importantly, they’d be able to replenish their draft picks in the deal.

For the Knicks, they’d land a true superstar and that would likely lead them into the playoffs.

“A starting five of Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, Durant, Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson features plenty of scoring, and a bench of Quentin Grimes, Cam Reddish, Evan Fournier and Isaiah Hartenstein has talent with upside,” Swartz writes. “Durant should be happy to get away from Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons and the uncertainty of the Nets’ core, landing in a far more stable environment, especially with Brunson now at point guard.”

On paper, it seems like a solid trade for both sides, even if the Nets get worse in the short term.

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Could It Happen?

A blockbuster trade like this happening this early into the season isn’t likely, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

The Nets are going through a lot right now with a new head coach in Jacque Vaughn and Kyrie Irving being suspended, perhaps a reset of the season is what’s needed. Moving on from Durant would be a good indicator of that happening, but this trade would still allow them to remain competitive.

Irving, Ben Simmons and Randle would likely still be enough to make the playoffs, so it’s not like they’d be bottoming out by trading away Durant. For the Knicks, they’d likely climb out of the play-in depths, and become a true playoff team. Whether they could win a championship remains another question entirely, but they’d definitely be more fun to watch.

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